rinates, on weekends. Studies suggest that 17 hours of wakefulness, which is what most women routinely experience, is the equivalent of a blood aleohal level of .05 in terms of perfor- mance; 24 hours of wakefulness is the equivalent of being legally drunk. “We have to make sleep a priority,” says Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., director of the New York University School of Medicine’s Sleep Disorders Center and co-author of A Woman’s Guide to Sleep: Guar- anteed Solutions for a Goad Night’s Rest in the June issue of the National Women’s Health Report. “Once we do that, it’s amazing how we can find the time. But it’s a very hard cycle to break, thinking we’re so important that we can skip sleep.” Daytime drowsiness and fatigue are the key signs that you're not getting enoughsleep, or that a sleeping disorder may be disturbing your sleep. Other signs Nt i: \ f V WY \WW Most women get an average of six hours, 41 minutes, during the work week and seven hours, 16 "ia affects their daily routine. \ women—50 percent more than men-—complain that lack of sleep OW7 (NAPSA)-—By far, the most prevalent sleep problem for women is lack of sleep or sleep deprivation, which may prevent many women from performing andfeeling their best. A 1998 study on women and seep found that three out of 10 SS Important Health Information To Sleep On Steeping only four to five hours a night for a month causes impairment parallel to walking around with a high blood alcchal isvel. of sleep deprivation include falhng asleep within five minutes of lying down Gt should take about 14 minutes to fall asleep if you are not deprived); feeling drowsy whenever you get bored or feel warm or comfortable; or experiencing “microsleeps,” very brief episodes. if you are feeling sleepy and find yourself “blanking out” for short periods, even a few seconds, you may be experiencing miecrosleeps, which can be dangerous if youre driving or doing other tasks that require alertness. For more information on sleep and bealth, visit www.healthy women.org or call 1-877-986-9472 for the National Women’s Health Report.
